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Friday, June 28, 2013

Disasters Come Disasters Go – Part 2

Lt Gen (Retd) Prakash Katoch.

Chief Secretay, Uttrakhand has eventually been permitted by his boss to make a statement that the death toll in the disaster may raise to 3000. This is still far from the truth and full eight days after Al Jazeera announced that the death toll is likely to be 6000 or more. Vijay Bahugana and Co conveniently discounted that, obviously scared of more brickbats for this mammoth avoidable loss of lives. The coterie would have continued to do so were in not for the pro-active media, reporting live from the disaster area that there are “thousands of bodies lying along the riverside”. Then, persons interviewed live said that the government list was falsely showing their relatives alive who were missing ever since disaster struck. Bahugana would have loved to stick to the figures of bodies actually cremated, which was perhaps the briefing to Shinde on orders of high command. The usual game being; release the figures slowly, playing time till other events overtake the issue.  The actual numbers may well exceed beyond 6000 but do numbers really matter? It does not affect fund collection and less the official deaths, less the need of disbursing relief. Part of the collection can go towards party fund / elections with no questions asked. Can someone investigate what funds were collected and what relief was distributed when 10,000 people perished in Latur during 1993?
The ping-pong about no advance warning about this disaster is reminiscent of the Sheila-Shinde ping-pong tournament during the Nirbhaya rape case, only difference being then it was about safety of women and law and order in Delhi and now it is about advance warning for this horrendous disaster. In the previous case, all promises of quick justice are forgotten despite other states having accorded speedy death sentences to rapists for crimes committed later then Nirbhaya. Perhaps it may happen in conjunction announcing general elections for better effect or even delayed further if some of these fellows have political links. Meanwhile, rapes are continuing in Delhi with same periodicity as before though date for the next Sheila-Shinde Ping Pong Tournament is undecided. As per media, not one single pie has been used from the much publicized Rupees 1 Crore Nirbhaya Fund to-date. Obviously, if it remains unutilized, it can be merged into the party fund or perhaps be made prize money for the Sheila-Shinde type of tournaments.
But coming back to the disaster in UK (Uttrakhandis refer to their states as UK), look at the ridiculousness of the ping-pong blame game between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Indian Metrological Department (IMD) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). One wonders if these numerous blame-game reports are not the handiwork of the government spin doctors to divert attention and fool the public. To start with, all three are government organizations but the issue not being discussed at all is that going by all media reports, the tragedy occurred because of two cloud bursts. Now, Chinese can make artificial rain and perhaps temporarily stop rain, as was purportedly done during Beijing Olympics, but even China cannot predict cloud bursts. So why is the public being fooled with the nonsensical arguments like no advance warning having been given about formation of ice atop some lake dome? How is this connected with cloud bursts? Locals are clearly berating the authorities live on TV that this is an avoidable environmental disaster purely because of the callousness of the authorities, but neither Manmohan nor Bahugana have the guts to admit. The finger clearly points to the complete lack of Environment Safety and preparation for Disaster Response. What the Congress fails to realize is that admitting the lapse closely followed announcing short, medium and long-term measures coupled with focused implementation would actually get them more votes rather than beating about the bushes, hoping the dust will blur population vision. The CAG warning earlier this year of Uttrakahnd being unprepared for disaster is no secret. Manmohan chairing NDMA must take the blame. While organizing and equipping the NDRF is one issue, more importantly, prevention of such natural disasters has to be planned and implemented upon by NDMA in close coordination with the Ministry of Environment – both under the Prime Minister. There is no doubt that consecutive state governments are also to blame but the major share for this disaster lies fairly and squarely with the Central Government.    
It is time the Congress, for a change, starts inducting professionals into niche areas like NDMA where lives of citizens are involved irrespective of the fact that mango people (read aam aadmi) lives don’t matter to the political hierarchy. The Mail Today in its edition of 26 Jun 2013 reports that the NDMA has reappointed four of its members with the status of Minister of State. The NDMA Vice Chairman, an MLA from Andhra Pradesh has been continuing in his post since 2005 with the status of a Cabinet Minister. How long will this you scratch mine, I scratch yours collective looting and passing the buck game carry on? It is time for the public to start asking questions and take the government to task. And, by ‘professionals’, one does not imply Kanimozhi type of experience picked up in Tihar Jail.  

Now let us take this business of civilian helicopters hired by the government and civilian operators fleecing lakhs of rupees per individual for getting them out of the area. This is what the media reports. Now it is also being circulated that government has ‘taken to task such operators’. So who is fooling whom? Surely, these private companies had not opened ticketing counters in the disaster area pick up points. Neither would the pilots know in advance who they are picking up. The hapless victims could not have had such cash in the disaster area. So, the only explanation is that the officials / personnel who were prioritizing the airlift through civilian helicopters were in league, collected whatever cash they could and took undertakings of paying balance at the other end while according priority. Such a brutality could not be possible without the police-private operator nexus, and maybe politicians at whatever levels. 

The problem with our government is that we still do not understand the power of both media and social media, though China too learnt it the hard way. Whatever little vestige of sincerity to help the Congress wanted to show was washed away with the televised scuffle between Congress MP Hanumantha Rao and two TDP MPs at Dehradun airport over taking out the flood victims by air. As per the reporter on the spot, air tickets of some of the hapless passengers were even torn by Hanumantha Rao’s goons. Then was the Congress-BJP war of words over the visits to disaster area by Modi and Rahul, and Digvijay Singh repeating Rahul had gone on foot while media clips showed him travelling by helicopter. Worst was a man shouting live at Rahul (perhaps at Gaucher) that here we have not had anything to eat for days and why this man is accompanied by 50 people. This clip was repeated twice before being blacked out. What Congress should realize is that it is not possible to fool the population anymore with the vibrant media in action, no matter how much pressure you put on media houses. This lesson should have been learnt when the so called trip by Rahul to the poor and staying the night in a village was orchestrated during the last UP elections. The arrangements that were made for his travel and night stay are well known. As for the recent trip to the disaster area, the DG ITBP has already disclosed that the entire ITBP camp was vacated just for a 10 minute halt of Rahul.  

Congress may also do well to overhaul its media managers. Despite the terrible disaster, the prime time on TV channels has nothing but Modi and Modi. Even Arnab Goswami appears rattled with the type of pressure on media houses. Aside from one or two BJP participants, he chooses all others who will pounce on the BJP and gives hardly any time for BJP participants to respond. Some of the Congress and allies participants are proving their foolishness for all to see, one fellow even saying Modi has ‘demoralized’ the army by visiting the disaster area. Some prior briefing could perhaps help prevent them putting their foot into own mouth. Because if this continues, the Americans may shut down their Bigfoot Field Research Organization founded in 1995 and drag these fellows into their zoos. Talk to the man on the nukkad and they laugh. One even said that just the mention of Modi is like a cat entering the poultry, with the Congress running for cover like chicken! So, get over the Modi paranoia and stand on your own feet.
 
 

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